Manufacture of alkaline secondary or storage batteries



May 18,1926. 1,585,521

W. H. BANCROFT MANUFACTURE OF ALKALINE SECONDARYOR STORAGE BATTERIESFiled Jur 1e 18. 1925 2 lr atented May 18, 1926.

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WALTER H. BANCROFT, OF BRYN ATHYN, PENNSYLVANIA.

Application filed June 18, 1925. Serial No. 87,962.

Some electrodes or plates include units comprising a perforated metallicenvelope containing metallic strips arranged face to face in confrontingrelation with active material or material to become active between themiddle portions of the strips leaving the ends bare, and the bare endsof the strips and the wall of the envelope are pinched together.

The principal object of the present invention is to facilitate themanufacture of such units, and more particularly to provide bar ends oi?the strips for pinching while at the same time facilitating theapplication of the active material or material to become active.

According to my invention the metallic strips are assembled tare to facein a pile and active material or material to become active is dustedupon them with suitable consolidation or tan'iping. Thus the activematerial or material to becon'ie active e tends substantially throughoutthe unit. The assemblage may then be arranged in a the ture and the endsof the strips bared by washing them with a strong jet oi, "for er:-ainple, a solution of potassium hydroxide or the like, or the assemblagemay be arranged in its perforated metallic envelope and the ends of thestrips bared by dipping them in a suitable bath, as of a solution ofpotassium or the like, and then pinching or squeezing the ends of theassemblage.

In the d"awings Figure l is a top or plan view the units.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section thereof an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing part of the envelope broken awayand illustrating one way of washing the active n'iaterial or n'iat-erialto become active.

Fig. l is a similar view illustrating another way of washing the activematerial or material to become active.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View representative of end pinching or squeezingmeans, and

Fig. 6 is a sectional View showing the bared ends of the strips and thewall of the tube pinched as in the finished unit.

of one oi drawn to In the drawing 1 is a perforated metallic envelope ortube 2 are bands that may on circle and reinforce it, 3 are metallicstrips snown conterminous with the envelope, and is active material ormaterial to become active. In the finished unit, Fig. 6, 5 indicates thebare ends of the strips which along with the wall of the envelope arepinched tcgetiier. 6 is a bath into which a portion of the unit may bedipped as one Way of washing" its active niat'erial or maerial to becomeactive, and 7 indicates a press mold for squeezing or pinching thedioped portions of the units to express or exude active material ormaterial to become active and to bare the ends oi the strips. Anotherway of washing is to subject the end portions to the action of a strongjet or spray for which purpose the units may be mounted in a clamp 8with their ends, minus lreir envelopes, exposed to the action of a ctindicated at It will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatmodifications may be made in details of procedure without departing fromthe spirit of my invention which is not limited to such matters orotherwise than as the prior art and the appended claims may require.

I claim:

1. The process of making units for alkaline storage batteries whichconsists in lirst washing and then pinching end portions of an assemblage including metallic strips and active material or material tobecome active arranged between the strips, whereby the pinched portionsof the strips are barcd.

2. The process of making units for alkaline storage batteries whichconsists in subjecting; the end portions of an asscn'iblage, comprisingmetallic strips and active material or material to become active arranged between the strips, to the action of a jet; and then pinching theend portions, sub stantially as described.

lVALTlDlt H, BANCROFT.

